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Itinerary: Return ticket and the name and address of a hotel will be enough to fill out your landing card. Might want to keep the hotel's phone number handy in case they want that too. Like the other poster mentioned, it doesn't have to be the place you end up staying.

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If they ask you in customs once they see your entry slip you filled out on the plane just tell them, "My boyfriend/fiance/husband is here on work and I had the chance to come over and visit him". They might ask where he works then you can tell them he is "in the U.S. Navy" and has some leave time for you two to get some private time together. I doubt they will pry much more than that and I'd be surprised if they even asked that much. Just don't act all evasive and like you have something to hide. Should be fine.

Don't mention you're visiting your boyfriend unless you are asked. That's a red flag for border guards. If you are asked, make it REAL clear he's a US citizen and not Japanese so there's no question in their minds that you're not coming over to get married and immigrate permanently.

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I've never had to show my boarding pass to a customs agent once I've landed nor have I needed to show my return ticket. The date of your return is usually on the form you filled out. As long as it is not for a year out or anything, no biggie usually.

What countries do you visit that are so open?

Keep your boarding pass handy as most awake border guards will check it against the flight number you wrote down on your embarcation card (the thing they give you on the plane) and the Japanese are particularily alert about this stuff.

Do carry your return ticket or some evidence of one before departure. The airlines are responsible for making sure you comply with Japanese immigration requirements, and US citizens on the visa waiver program DO INDEED need to have a return or onward ticket booked. A sharp boarding pass agent may ask you for it and if you can't produce it, you don't fly and the cost is on you. A major bummer for being too lazy to print out and carry a piece of paper.

Despite what other posters are saying, don't count on being able to check your luggage through or not needing your passport. I think some people are confused about national vs international travel and also are not used to flying on different airlines to make regional hops prior to an international flight.

If you fly on different airlines while taking a domestic-international route, you may indeed need to collect your bags, re-check them, and process out through immigration. You certainly WILL need your passport to get through immigration before leaving the USA.

Going out from here to Japan (or any other country) you do NOT have to claim your bags when one changes planes in Chicago/NYC or anywhere else in the U.S. You check them all the way thru at your origination airport. It is when coming back on the RETURN flight that one will have to claim their bags and go thru customs on the layover. Then recheck them.

Exactly. And then the bags get reloaded immediately after customs, so you don't have to bother with them anymore.

1. A list of tourist things you want to do while you are there
or
2. A schedule of the flights you are taking that the airline sends you when you book a ticket. It includes the airline, the flight number, the departure and arrival time, meals being served on the plane, etc.

When the poster mentioned keeping your itinerary with you, I believe they were talking about #2.

Also, yes you will need to go through immigration even if you are only going for a week. It is a little deceiving sounding because you aren't immigrating to Japan, you are just visiting. But Immigration is actually just the part of the airport where government agents look at all your paperwork to see that you are there legally and try to screen to make sure you aren't planning to stay there longer than you should. It sounds a little intimidating but just give them the papers they ask for (there will be signs telling you what you need to give them) and answer their questions. You should be fine.

You are going to be hooked on traveling after this! Try to learn a couple Japanese phrases before you go and do a little research on the culture and history. I always find that that helps me enjoy my stay so much more. Try some new food too! Good luck and have fun!

Keep your boarding pass handy as most awake border guards will check it against the flight number you wrote down on your embarcation card (the thing they give you on the plane) and the Japanese are particularily alert about this stuff.

Do carry your return ticket or some evidence of one before departure. The airlines are responsible for making sure you comply with Japanese immigration requirements, and US citizens on the visa waiver program DO INDEED need to have a return or onward ticket booked. A sharp boarding pass agent may ask you for it and if you can't produce it, you don't fly and the cost is on you. A major bummer for being too lazy to print out and carry a piece of paper.

Despite what other posters are saying, don't count on being able to check your luggage through or not needing your passport. I think some people are confused about national vs international travel and also are not used to flying on different airlines to make regional hops prior to an international flight.

If you fly on different airlines while taking a domestic-international route, you may indeed need to collect your bags, re-check them, and process out through immigration. You certainly WILL need your passport to get through immigration before leaving the USA.

I've been to communist countries and never had a problem as well as South America, Mexico, etc.

I didn't say to NOT have the return ticket. Nor did I say not to print it out. I ALWAYS have mine in my readily handy travel documents carrier that fits right into my backpack. All of my travel documents are in it and if asked, I've got it. I just never have needed to pull it out nor have I just offered up freely anything that wasn't "must have's" like passport and the little card they give you to fill out on the plane about your travel plans. Which by the way........ DO NOT LOSE THAT!!!!! I've also never been asked for my boarding pass for the plane I just departed from.

No, I'm not confused about international vs domestic travel. When you check your bags in at the ticket counter IN the United States the ticket agent will verify your passport and will stamp your boarding pass that the passangers passport has been verified. It is even entered into their computer when they check you in.

They will also tag the luggage to go ALL THE WAY THRU to the final destination when she checks in at the airport for her first leg of the journey. If one is boarding a plane in the U.S. and changes planes IN the U.S. they will not need to claim their bags for U.S. Customs. Why would U.S. customs want to see those bags - it is a DOMESTIC FLIGHT. They will be on a DOMESTIC FLIGHT for that portion of the journey so they will come into a gate/terminal that is NOT "International" nor ready for passangers that are coming into the country since it is a DOMESTIC flight . It is on the RETURN flight back home that the OP when landing on the INTERNATIONAL flight before getting on the DOMESTIC flight will need to claim her bags, go thru customs and recheck them and go back thru security. On the flight going TO Japan she very well could get off at one gate and only need to go a few feet to get on her International flight. Done it enough times that I actually prefer to change planes in the OTHER country coming back home since it would be a "domestic" flight in THAT country, if at all possible and get a non-stop for the final journey back home. Oh, most airlines have agreements with each other for ticketing and that includes baggage. If her domestic flight to Chicago is on Airline B and her flight out of Chicago is on Airline C and they have an agreement with each other, which they most likely will, they will check baggage all the way thru. I've been on different carriers on internation travel and they have such agreements and it is no big deal.

One will NOT go thru "immigration" to get on an International flight out of the U.S.................. what airport do you go thru that does that? I fly out of DFW a LOT and it is an international airport and I've sat at many a gates that the people were boarding flights all over the world and they went thru the same check-in procedure and security lines that the domestic travelers do. Same for Atlanta and Miami. There is no extra security or immigration for them to clear thru. She will show her passport when she first checks in at ticket counter and won't need it again till she fills out her card on the plane before landing (just to get her passport number as it is required) and then she will then show it to the customs agent IN Japan. The gate agents that are taking the boarding passes to board the planes don't even ask for a form of ID anymore even on International flights. All of that has already been done at the ticket counter.

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Originally Posted by MissLariss

Itinerary can mean two things actually:

1. A list of tourist things you want to do while you are there
or
2. A schedule of the flights you are taking that the airline sends you when you book a ticket. It includes the airline, the flight number, the departure and arrival time, meals being served on the plane, etc.

When the poster mentioned keeping your itinerary with you, I believe they were talking about #2.

Also, yes you will need to go through immigration even if you are only going for a week. It is a little deceiving sounding because you aren't immigrating to Japan, you are just visiting. But Immigration is actually just the part of the airport where government agents look at all your paperwork to see that you are there legally and try to screen to make sure you aren't planning to stay there longer than you should. It sounds a little intimidating but just give them the papers they ask for (there will be signs telling you what you need to give them) and answer their questions. You should be fine.

Yes, it is probably 2 but most likely she won't need to show them EVERYTHING. Now, every few people they MIGHT ask for additional info from but it is not a big deal. Like you said, just answer the questions and show them what they ask for and your on your way.

Correct, it does say immigration but it is for anyone coming INTO the country that is not a resident. Be you are there for business or pleasure or moving there. All must go thru immigration THERE. Coming back into the U.S. is a breeze for the most part. The worst is having to claim your bags, go thru customs, recheck them and then go thru security again. This is why I said to make sure there was PLENTY of time on that leg of the journey back home to allow for it.

One will NOT go thru "immigration" to get on an International flight out of the U.S.................. what airport do you go thru that does that? I fly out of DFW a LOT and it is an international airport and I've sat at many a gates that the people were boarding flights all over the world and they went thru the same check-in procedure and security lines that the domestic travelers do. Same for Atlanta and Miami. There is no extra security or immigration for them to clear thru. She will show her passport when she first checks in at ticket counter and won't need it again till she fills out her card on the plane before landing (just to get her passport number as it is required) and then she will then show it to the customs agent IN Japan. The gate agents that are taking the boarding passes to board the planes don't even ask for a form of ID anymore even on International flights. All of that has already been done at the ticket counter.

You are 100% right!!! I don't know why people said he/she will go through immigration leaving the USA. There is no immigration to leave the United States for a foreign country. You ONLY go through it when entering the USA. When leaving the USA, all you have to do is show the check in agent your flight documents and passport, go through security with everyone else, and then board the plane. In the USA, a international flight can be adjacent to a domestic flight next to an international flight next to a domestic flight, etc... at the terminal

Also, make sure to check your bags through to the final destination if you are flying on the same ticket. Airlines have "interline", code share, and alliance agreements so an airline can check a bag through to another airline. For example, If you are connecting from American Airlines to JAL, they can check the bag all the way through. On the outbound flight leaving the USA, you don't need to recollect your bags. When returning to the USA, you do need to and then drop them off at a "bag drop" after going through customs.

Don't take things so personally, I'm just encouraging the OP to cover her bases. Enforcement varies from person to person, but the regulations tend to be pretty strict. If someone decides to hassel you it's best to have your ducks in a row. I'm not suggesting you said not to, I'm just repeating the important points.

If you switch carriers domestically before your international connection you MAY be able to check your bags all the way through, but don't count on it, is all I'm saying. If you fly NWA from Dallas to Chicago and then fly Thai Airlines to Narita you are probably NOT going to be able to check your bags all the way through and probably ARE going to have to collect and re-check-in as Northwest doesn't code-share with Thai Air.

If what everyone insists on is true, then the United States is the ONLY country in the world that doesn't check travel documentation on the way OUT of the country. I've been out of the US for quite a while, so maybe what you are saying is true. Still, I wonder how the US can check for visa overstays etc if they don't send outbound passengers through immigration. Where's the annoyed frowny-face button? Well, just imagine one here: ><

How it works EVERYWHERE ELSE, is that you will go through an immigration checkpoint on the way out and your passport will be stamped with the date of departure. Citizens of the country will head for the "citizen" line which is short and easy as opposed to the foreigner line where they will carefully check your documentation to make sure you didn't violate the terms of your visa or waiver on your visit. You'll (possibly) leave and re-enter the US going through the citizen line and enter and leave Japan going through the foreigner line.

If you carry your passport, a printout of your departing and return flights, your landing card (on arrival in Japan) and your boarding pass, you'll be set in any circumstances.

Ask the clerk at check-in if your bags are checked all the way to your destination and if you have boarding passes for all of your flights. They'll give you the final word on what you need to do.

Don't take things so personally, I'm just encouraging the OP to cover her bases.

If you switch carriers domestically before your international connection you MAY be able to check your bags all the way through, but don't count on it, is all I'm saying. If you fly NWA from Dallas to Chicago and then fly Thai Airlines to Narita you are probably NOT going to be able to check your bags all the way through and probably ARE going to have to collect and re-check-in as Northwest doesn't code-share with Thai Air.

If what everyone insists on is true, then the United States is the ONLY country in the world that doesn't check travel documentation on the way OUT of the country. I've been out of the US for quite a while, so maybe what you are saying is true. Still, I wonder how the US can check for visa overstays etc if they don't send outbound passengers through immigration. Where's the annoyed frowny-face button? Well, just imagine one here: ><

How it works EVERYWHERE ELSE, is that you will go through an immigration checkpoint on the way out and your passport will be stamped with the date of departure. Citizens of the country will head for the "citizen" line which is short and easy as opposed to the foreigner line where they will carefully check your documentation to make sure you didn't violate the terms of your visa or waiver on your visit. You'll (possibly) leave and re-enter the US going through the citizen line and enter and leave Japan going through the foreigner line.

I'm not taking it personally. I just don't want the OP to think this is soooooo overwhelming that she is freaked out.

1. If she is ticketed on one ticket for all of her flights then those airlines codeshare. I worked as a travel agent and totally understand this. If she books her first leg to Chicago on say Southwest (who doesn't codeshare with anyone) and then her last leg on JAL then YES, she would have to reclaim bags and all. HOWEVER, like I said, if she calls 1 airline and books the ENTIRE trip thru them they will only ticket with airlines they codeshare with. Then she won't have to worry about reclaiming bags in Chicago (or whatever U.S. city she connects thru) and going thru security again. She can even ask the agent on the phone about the bags being checked all the way thru.

2. I did not say that the U.S. does not check documents. I said the ticket agent when she first checks-in and checks her bags will see her passport and then will use this special stamp they have and put it on her boarding pass. There is NO SEPERATE SECURITY LINE FOR OUTBOUND INTERNATIONAL PASSANGERS! Not even in Mexico is there such. They go to the ticket counter, check-in, show passport, check bags and then proceed thru security just like everyone else domestic and international travelers. Once thru security your in the terminal. If they DID try to have a seperate area for such....... what a mess. I've never gone thru a seperate immigration to LEAVE a country except for Aruba and they even have a U.S. customs area there so one coming back to the states doesn't do customs here but instead THERE. Let me put it this way....... leaving a country is NOT the issue. It is when one is coming INTO a country that they care. Leaving they are thinking: good, your someone elses problem now, adios. Coming in is when they are thinking: Who the heck are you and why are you here and what do you have with you.

3. Again, not "EVERYWHERE ELSE" has an outbound immigration either. I've left many a country and they have not stamped my passport. It is coming IN that is the worry for countries. There is no seperate "citizen" or "foreigner" line at all in the airports for outbound travelers. Since you have now said you have been out of the U.S. for awhile things are not as you remember and they didn't even do THAT back in the 80's either. We didn't even have security in the terminals to go thru back then. You just walked in and they checked your passport at the gate as you were boarding your plane.

The only country I've been to that had a U.S. Customs "terroritory" in the airport is Aruba. I believe that is the only foreign country that does. You check your bags and show the Arubian official your passport and boarding pass. Then you go thru security and go thru a door and then you claim your bags. You go thru U.S. Customs w/ a U.S. Customs agent just like you would here IN the U.S. upon return but instead THERE and BEFORE you get on the plane. Then you recheck your bags. You have to allow extra time for all of this and it really doesn't take that long and kind of a PITA. This is the ONLY country where the U.S. Customs does this. Here in the U.S. no other country has a customs agent stationed at the airports. She will NOT go "Thru" Japan on her way out and she will NOT go "thru" the U.S. while in the airport in Japan on her way back. There is no way that the U.S. could have every country have a Customs area for travelers to their country to go thru. What a stinkin mess. Don't confuse the poor girl. She won't have to bother with ANY of this as there is NO "FOREIGNER" and NO "CITIZEN" line in the airports here.

I can assure you that we are all telling the truth on international travel out of and into the U.S.

My simple responses. Just a short review of the responses I have read probably are leaving you in a mass of confusion. Some are innacurate. Ignore the "but if it's Tuesday, this might happen" responses. Don't sweat it, it's not that complex:

1. Can anyone recommend an airline for me? Any airlines I should absolutely avoid flying with? -Singapore has consistently been rated best. Quantas has been rated not that good. Some of the airlines code share, so it might not make a difference who you chose.

2. When I change planes ( Most likely in Chicago), will I have to go through the baggage collection/checking process again?No, not traveling outbound to Japan

3. Whats the most important thing to remember so I dont get totally lost in the airport?Airport signs are amazingly consistent between airports (gates this way, baggage claim that way, etc), and even in foreign airports are in English. Look for signs, and ask if you don't know.

4. Am I allowed a pen/pencil on my flight so I can do some schoolwork? (I'll be missing a few classes to make this trip, and dont want to fall behind. Its an 18 hour flight so..yeah. lol)Yes

5 What papers should I have on me at all times (besides passport)?Alternative identification, credit cards. Copy of passport in a different location

6. Is my purse (just a average-size purse, nothing huge) considered carry-on luggage? If so, do they charge me extra for it now, even if its light?yes and no, personal articles (purse) are not considered as part of your carry on limit allowance and you will not be charged.

If she books her first leg to Chicago on say Southwest (who doesn't codeshare with anyone) and then her last leg on JAL then YES, she would have to reclaim bags and all. HOWEVER, like I said, if she calls 1 airline and books the ENTIRE trip thru them they will only ticket with airlines they codeshare with.

I agree with you. I was making her aware that it is a possibility that she may have to collect and recheck bags. I think it's best to let people prepare for the worst-case scenario so that she is aware of what she might need to do.

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3. Again, not "EVERYWHERE ELSE" has an outbound immigration either. I've left many a country and they have not stamped my passport. It is coming IN that is the worry for countries. There is no seperate "citizen" or "foreigner" line at all in the airports for outbound travelers. Since you have now said you have been out of the U.S. for awhile things are not as you remember and they didn't even do THAT back in the 80's either. We didn't even have security in the terminals to go thru back then. You just walked in and they checked your passport at the gate as you were boarding your plane.

This is just flat-out wrong. You will indeed process out through immigration when flying OUT of India, The Maldives, Japan, China, Spain, Ireland, Taiwan, and probably every other country, but those are the ones I've left via air in the past year and have the exit stamps on my passport to prove it.

Perhaps caribbean tourist destinations skip this requirement?

Nearly every border crossing in the world works like this:
1. You process out of the departure country on their territory.
2. You process into the arrival country on their territory.

For land crossings 1. and 2. are a few meters to a few hundred meters apart. For airports 1. is in the departure airport and 2. is in the arrival airport.

Are you perhaps confusing immigration with customs? You do not need to go through CUSTOMS on the way out of some countries; they check your luggage after you give it to the ticketing agent. You will nearly always present your passport and other travel documents to immigration authorities when leaving any country.

This is why there are separate "International" terminals at large airports. To get into the international departure terminal you will go through immigration. If you arrive at one of the domestic terminals in LAX, you will need to go through immigration to get into the Bradley International Terminal and board any flights departing the United States. International flights do not leave from domestic terminals and you cannot get from the domestic terminal to the international terminals without first clearing immigration.

Just after you go through security (or sometimes before, depending on the airport) you will also go through an immigration checkpoint. I'm quite surprised you don't remember doing this in your travels. Check your passport for entry/exit stamps. You should have dated entry AND exit stamps for every country you've ever visited and the exit stamp is usually right next to the entry stamp. You get the exit stamp as you go through outbound immigration at the airport terminal or the border if you're making a land crossing.

I'm quite certain you will process out of the United States as well, because immigration laws state that you will earn a 3 or 10 year bar if foreigners overstay the duration of their visa by a certain number of months. Upon departure, foreigner's passports and visas must be checked to ensure they complied with regulations. If they did not, their name and passport number will be recorded and referenced when they apply for future visas. Some countries level fines for overstaying your visa or waiver period. The OUT immigration checkpoint is where they check for overstays and charge you the fine if you have an expired visa.

One interesting note is that the United States maintains it's own checkpoint at the Dublin airport for US-bound travellers through Ireland. So, travelling from Dublin to Chicago means you go through outbound Irish immigration, then inbound US immigration in Ireland, then inbound US immigration AGAIN in Chicago. It's pretty annoying.

There is a 100% chance that the OP will go through inbound AND outbound immigration in Japan when she visits. They will issue her the standard visa waiver form (for US Citizens; I believe it's allows a 30 day visit) which is stapled or glued to a visa page in her passport. When she leaves they will pull out the waiver form and collect it for their records. It leaves you with a little sticker and two stamps as a momento of your visit.

If you do find an entry stamp without an exit stamp in your passport, please let us know which country it was for.

I\
This is why there are separate "International" terminals at large airports. To get into the international departure terminal you will go through immigration. If you arrive at one of the domestic terminals in LAX, you will need to go through immigration to get into the Bradley International Terminal and board any flights departing the United States. International flights do not leave from domestic terminals and you cannot get from the domestic terminal to the international terminals without first clearing immigration.

You are right, ALMOST ALL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD HAVE OUTBOUND IMMIGRATION. The United States DOES NOT and is one of the ONLY countries in the world that is like this.

However:
International terminals are just a name for a terminal where airports like to put international airlines in the USA so that they are all in one place. However, they do not have any special immigration when leaving at international terminals in the USA. You used LAX (my home airport as an example). International flights leave from Terminal 2 (home to Air Canada, Air France, Air New Zealand, and Hawaiian). Terminal 4 is home to American and Qantas Airlines departures. American Airlines flight to Tokyo leaves adjacent to an American flight to Dallas in Terminal 4 next to a Qantas flight to Sydney. Terminal 7 has United Airlines which has flights going to Sydney, Tokyo, London, etc... next to their flights going to Chicago, New York, San Francisco, etc.... Really, American airports are just ONE BIG MESS with airlines all over the place and international flights leaving from where ever. Upon arrival Terminals 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and Tom Bradley International have immigration for returning passengers within their own terminal. So all those terminals are "just as international" because they have the same facilities as TBI. TBI just has the majority (but not all) of the international airlines.

Also, look at San Francisco Airport where domestic only airlines Jet Blue and Virigin America leave from the so called international terminal! What about New York JFK where there is no terminal named "International???"

Please read this for LAX: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Ang...tional_Airport
You will notice international departures are all over LAX from Terminal 2 to Terminal 7 to Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 and NOT just in Tom Bradley. They are all over, but Tom Bradley has most.

Another way the USA is unique in its immigration process: If you are connecting from an international flight to another international flight in the USA, you still have to go through immigration and customs, depsite the fact that you are connecting to another international flight and not staying in the country. At many foreign international airports you can make a international-international connection and stay within the airport and not go through immigration. For example flying Australia-New Zealand-USA with a connection in Auckland, you would get off the plane from Australia and follow a sign that says "To international connections" and go through there. In the USA, you always have to go through immigration when arriving.

Last edited by missionhome; 08-06-2009 at 11:53 AM..

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